Haiku
This month, The New York Times put out a call for Haiku about the city. With a deadline on April 5, 2014, I had little time to waste. I haven't written haiku in a long while, but I do love the little form. The criteria for the NYC haiku was:
Your haiku must relate to one of six categories relating to New York City. Those topics are: Island Strangers Solitude Commute 6 a.m. Kindness You don’t have to include the word, just let the topic inspire you, and relate it to your experience of New York City. For those who may have forgotten the rules of writing a haiku, here’s a quick 101 guide: • Only three lines. • First line must be five syllables. • Second line must be seven syllables. • The third line must be five syllables. • Punctuation and capitalization are up to you. • It doesn’t have to rhyme. • It must be original.
The did leave out the part that Haiku generally has something to do with nature or the seasons, but I won't hold that against them. Here is what I came up with, but I only submitted three: Amtrak thumps rails north anxious heart, loud silence here. clammy hand held down. St. Paul camouflaged in Spring's green, shadowed by steel fulcrum: past, future Central oasis spring fever fields full out below Essex, free "Imagine," he said. blooms, friends -- city wonderland diverse harmony. Maze of rat tunnels rumbles on rails, sardines tight. Jump inside, smiling. What would your haiku be about NYC or your own location?
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